Stone Town Walking Tour
Description
Choosing our Stone Town city tour means experiencing Zanzibar through the eyes of a local expert. Our guide brings a wealth of knowledge, offering deep insights into the town's rich history, unique architecture, and vibrant culture. We pride ourselves on delivering personalized tours tailored to your interests, whether it's uncovering hidden gems, tasting local cuisine, or capturing stunning photographs. With a commitment to authenticity, quality, and exceptional service, we ensure a memorable and engaging experience that goes beyond the ordinary, making us the top choice for exploring Stone Town.
Tour Options
Itinerary
At the Old Fort, or Ngome Kongwe, you will step into the oldest building in Stone Town, a formidable structure built in the 17th century by the Omani Arabs to defend against Portuguese invasion. This historic fort, with its thick stone walls and crenelated battlements, now serves as a vibrant cultural center. You’ll have the chance to explore its courtyard, where local artisans display their crafts, and learn about the fort's storied past, from its days as a military stronghold to its role as a prison and later as a venue for community events. The Old Fort offers a unique glimpse into Zanzibar's history and is a perfect place to soak in the local atmosphere, watch a live performance, or simply relax in the charming surroundings.
At the House of Wonders, one of Stone Town's most iconic landmarks, travelers will learn about Zanzibar’s rich history and cultural heritage. Originally built as a ceremonial palace for Sultan Barghash in the 19th century, it was the first building in East Africa to have electricity and an elevator, earning its name. While the building is currently under renovation, you’ll still hear fascinating stories about its unique blend of Omani and European architecture, its significance in Swahili culture, and Zanzibar’s history as a major trading hub across the Indian Ocean. Our guide will provide insights from the outside, ensuring you gain a deeper understanding of this remarkable site’s past and its impact on Zanzibar today.
The Old Slave Market is a powerful and moving historical site where travelers can learn about Zanzibar's role in the East African slave trade. You’ll visit the underground slave chambers, see the chilling memorials, and explore the Anglican Cathedral, built over the former market site. Our guide will share stories of the enslaved people’s struggles and resilience, providing a deep and emotional understanding of this dark chapter in history.
As we pass by the Freddie Mercury House, you’ll catch a glimpse of the birthplace of the legendary Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury. Learn a bit about his early life in Zanzibar and his rise to global fame, adding a pop-culture twist to your tour as you continue through Stone Town.
At the People's Palace, also known as Beit al-Sahel, you will explore the former residence of the Sultan of Zanzibar. Now a museum, it showcases the lavish lifestyle of Zanzibar’s royal family, with exhibits featuring original furnishings, historical photographs, and artifacts. You’ll walk through opulent rooms, learn about the island’s royal heritage, and gain insight into Zanzibar's fascinating past from our expert guides.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up travelers around Stone town for free, any pick up outside Stone town will include extra transport charges.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(57)
Mady was a great guide. Really interesting walking tour full of local and historical knowledge. He was friendly, happy to answer and questions and was prompt and polite in communicating the meeting time/ place. I am travelling solo so it was great to see areas of Stone Town which I wouldn't necessarily have felt comfortable heading to on my own. The tour offered a lot packed into 3 hours and there was the added comfort of being met and dropped back at my hotel afterwards.
Thanks Laura.
This is a good orientation tour for those visiting Stone Town for first time. Our guide, Hamad, was highly knowledgeable and covered the history of Stone Town and the island as well as covering some of local culture.
Thank you so much
Excellent visit with Fadhili via Safe Zanzibar Tour. He took the time to explain, in a very good French, it was very nice! I recommend
Merci.
The guide, Mady, did a great job in sharing details about the history, architecture and culture of Stone Town. He stayed as long as I wanted at places of interest. He also made recommendations for dinner options.
Thank you for your supportive feedback
Great trip, very informative and child friendly. Nice long walk along all of Znz for 2 hours. The best part was the end at the night food market! Asante Hamad.
We appreciate
It is definitely worth setting aside a morning or afternoon for this. Beautiful narrow streets with an ancient history , here you can see various styles such as Persian , Indian , Arabic and Africa , beautiful cultures that come together here , not to mention the Freddy Mercury museum , is not big but worth it.You can take a guide but you can also install the app maps.me on your phone and download the maps of Tansania , mark your starting point and walk.
Thank you Berry
Mady was great! He met me at the port after getting off my ferry from Dar es Salaam. He gave me a thorough overview of the history of Zanzibar before embarking on our tour that made the experience that more enjoyable! He was knowledgeable about all facets of the history and answered all my questions.
We appreciate
Communication was very timely and clear. The guide suggested we start later so we could see the night market. They picked us up from our hotel on time which was way up north for an extremely reasonable rate, much lower than some of the others. Our guide Mady was very knowledgeable on the history of Zanzibar and the tour was very interesting. I stopped at a bank ATM to get cash and the ATM held my card because I took too long to figure out how much to withdraw so Madi helped us speak to the manager and to email a copy of my passport and waited with us for close to an hour until they gave us my card back. The tour went on more than the booked time because of that and we were very grateful for his help. I would love to take the tour again and see more of the city next time but we ran out of time and energy. They were very friendly and helpful and patient as I was traveling with my mother who was getting tired. I would recommend using this company for all their excursions!
Thank you for your good feedback. Have a great day.
Hamad (Mado) our guide was knowledgeable and very nice guy to take us around the stone town. It was indeed a fun and informative tour with Hamad and i do recommend him highly.
Thank you so much
Mady was a great guide! Super knowledgeable about the history behind every place he brought us to. Would recommend!
Thank Allison have a great day.
